COMIC-CON 2010: ‘Simpsons’ collectibles from around the world

With the exhibit hall at Comic-Con chock-full of merchandise of virtually every conceivable character, it’s hard to get noticed — unless you’re America’s reigning animated family.

As fanboys filed from booth to booth, they were greeted at Dave & Sue’s Collectibles by the familiar dim-witted glow of Homer Simpson. A cutout of the patriarch, whom Entertainment Weekly just named the greatest character created for television and film in the last 20 years, stood at the entrance of the booth.

The booth, stocked with a variety of items including Betty Boop,Snoopy and “Family Guy,” was a haven for die-hard Springfield fans, with plenty of rare finds on the shelves, including cans of (long-ago-expired) Duff beer, stuffed animals, Happy Meal figurines and even air fresheners.

For co-owner David Descoteau, selling the merchandise — at prices ranging from $1 to $40 — was bittersweet.

“I was a fan from when the show first started. I didn’t start collecting until 1995,” he said, surrounded by Simpson figurines. “But I had to get out of it because of finances. I’m actually selling my collection.”

Descoteau, who valued his collection in the neighborhood of $10,000, put a portion of his best finds up for grabs in San Diego. Some of his favorite rarities include a Simpsons-themed lunch box from Japan, beer

glasses from Australia and a Bart joystick for Atari. He admits, however, that he has no plans to part with his most prized – and priciest – possession: a Simpsons Christmas train set with 40 pieces that took years to collect.

With the show entering its 22nd season (Matt Groening and company will be on hand Saturday afternoon to talk about the series), Descoteau said the merchandise of the show took on a life of its own.

“I would not have expected it to last this long,” he said. “When I came 10 years ago to Comic-Con, the writers said something like they thought it would stop soon.

“When it first came out, it just exploded. Anything they could put their name on merchandise-wise, they did. So much stuff came out. Collectors had to basically pick and choose what they wanted.”